Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to a method for operating a vehicle and a device for carrying out the method.
A method and device for operating a vehicle, in particular for the vehicle to approach a parking space in a parking zone that is not visible/is away from the road, are known from prior art, as described in German patent document DE 10 2013 015 348 A1. In the method, surroundings data of the vehicle are detected. When approaching a parking space in the parking zone, it is identified whether this is a home parking space or whether the parking zone is a home parking zone. When it is identified that it is a home parking space or a home parking zone and as the vehicle approaches the identified home parking space or the identified home parking zone, detected surroundings data or driving data are stored or updated. In a learning mode, several trajectories for the at least one home parking space of the at least one home parking zone are determined by means of the surroundings data or driving data and stored. In an operating mode, when approaching the at least one home parking space of the at least one home parking zone, possible drivable trajectories are displayed for selection and activation or, when only one of the determined trajectories is drivable, this trajectory is activated automatically.
German patent document DE 10 2013 015 349 A1 discloses a method and device for operating a vehicle for the vehicle to approach a parking space in a parking zone that is not visible/is away from the road. In the method, surroundings data of the vehicle are detected. When approaching a parking space in the parking zone, it is identified whether this is a home parking space or whether the parking zone is a home parking zone. When it is identified that it is a home parking space or a home parking zone and as the vehicle approaches the identified home parking space or the identified home parking zone, detected surroundings data or driving data are stored or updated.
Exemplary embodiments of the invention are directed to an improved method for operating a vehicle compared to the prior art and a device for carrying out the method.
In a method for operating a vehicle in a parking process situation, a predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process situation-specific function is allocated according to the invention to a predetermined parking process situation of the vehicle. It is determined whether the vehicle is in the one predetermined parking process situation. When the vehicle is in the one predetermined parking process situation, the allocated function is presented to a vehicle user for activation or is automatically activated.
The method increases the comfort for the vehicle user since the vehicle-specific or parking process situation-specific functions, which are formed, in particular, as additional functions of the vehicle, can be automatically activated by means of the method or can be presented to the vehicle user for activation, and indeed in each case, at a time point that is beneficial to the vehicle user, since they are allocated to the respective parking process situation in which the activation of the respective vehicle-specific or parking process situation-specific function is beneficial and advantageous, or at least could be. In this way, it is no longer necessary for the vehicle user to, in each case, call up these vehicle-specific or parking process situation-specific functions individually, to then individually activate them by activating a special switch for the respective function or to find the respective function in a sub-menu of a central operating system of the vehicle. Because modern vehicles have a large number of such additional functions, the method presents a considerable simplification for the vehicle user for beneficial use of these additional functions, and, in addition, enables the vehicle user to save time. The additional functions become easier to operate and, in addition, an improved visibility of additional functions that are only seldom used, i.e., by means of the method, the vehicle user is made aware of additional functions that are available to him in a respective parking process situation such that he can also use these additional functions in a beneficial manner, which can only be seldom used and which can thus be easily forgotten by the vehicle user.
The method is suitable both for parking process situations in which the vehicle user manually carries out a parking process in a conventional manner, for example parking the car or pulling away, and for parking process situations in which the respective parking process is carried out partially or completely automatically by the vehicle. Particularly advantageously, the method is also suitable for parking process situations in which the respective parking process is carried out as a so-called remote parking, i.e., the vehicle user, in particular the vehicle driver, is positioned outside the vehicle and initiates, controls, regulates or monitors the respective parking process by means of a remote control unit, which is preferably connected to the vehicle via a wireless data transfer connection. Thus, the method is particularly advantageous because the vehicle user located outside the vehicle cannot individually call up the vehicle-specific or parking process situation-specific functions in the conventional manner described above, cannot individually activate them by activating a special switch in the vehicle or cannot find them in a sub-menu of a central operating system of the vehicle. The predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process specific-function allocated to the respective predetermined parking process situation is thus advantageously either automatically activated or expediently presented to the vehicle user for activation via the remote-control unit, when the vehicle is in the respective predetermined parking process situation.
Advantageously, the allocation of the one predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process situation-specific function to a predetermined parking process situation is carried out in a training process, wherein the training process comprises one or more of the following steps:    storing the parking process situation, i.e., in particular when the vehicle is in the respective parking process situation, and storing an activation carried out in this parking process situation of a vehicle-specific or parking process situation-specific function in a learning mode activated by the vehicle user, wherein this can also be carried out several times by the vehicle user. In doing so, the operation by the vehicle user, for example, and the parking process situation can be thus recorded together after activating the learning mode and stored.    storing the activations of a vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function in a parking process situation. In doing so, e.g., the activation time point or the activation time point of a vehicle-specific or parking process situation-specific function for a certain parking process situation is stored. Activating or changing the function can be allocated by means of operation by the vehicle user or automatically for a determined or recognized parking process situation.    storing the parking process situation that has occurred several times as well as an activation of a vehicle-specific or parking process situation-specific function carried out every time the parking process situation occurs. In doing so, a continuous learning of the operation is thus advantageously automatically carried out by the vehicle user when a parking process situation that appears several times occurs, in particular when carrying out a parking situation used several times.    predetermining a parking process situation and an allocated vehicle-specific or parking process situation-specific function and storing these predeterminations. For example, advantageously setting desired settings is carried out by the vehicle user in a menu for a respective parking process situation and storing these desired settings along with the parking process situation, i.e., the vehicle user advantageously selects both the parking process situation and, where necessary, these characterizing criteria and the settings desired for this parking process situation in terms of one or more vehicle-specific or parking process situation-specific functions, for example from the menu or in a different manner, and stores them together. In particular, a combination of the first and third or the second and third variants is also possible. This setting does not necessarily take place in the car. This can also take place from home via a (web) server. In other words, the setting can take place as part of a remote configuration. The driver configures the presented additional functions on his PC at home.
Furthermore, learning new activations or changes to activations can also take place in a normal operation or operating mode. In other words, activation can be continuously learned. A specific training process does not have to exist for this.
It is also conceivable that learning the activation of a function occurs independently of learning the parking process situation; the vehicle has learned the garage in front of the house is a relevant parking process situation and has also already sufficiently stored the trajectories. Later, the vehicle then still learns that the driver, when (partially) automatically driving away from the situation, activates the garage door opener again and again or, in the end, activates the parking heater again and again for the next day.
Determining whether the vehicle is in the at least one predetermined parking process situation and, if this is the case, presenting for activation or automatically activating the predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function allocated to this one predetermined parking process situation, takes place in a normal operation or operating mode or operating process of the vehicle.
In an advantageous embodiment of the method, one or more parameters used most frequently in the past in the predetermined parking process situation of the vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function is presented to the vehicle user for activation when the vehicle is in the at least one predetermined parking process situation. In other words, the vehicle user is not only presented with the activation of the vehicle-specific or parking process situation-specific function, but also the activation of the function with a parameter frequently used in the past for the function in the respective parking process situation, and labelled as default values such that the vehicle user can set the desired expression of the function in a simple and quick manner. Alternatively, as already described above, for example only activating the vehicle-specific or parking process situation-vehicle function or several of these functions can also be presented to the vehicle user. This can take place, for example, by means of the so-called shortcut in the operating system of the vehicle that can then be displayed to the vehicle user for activation such that the vehicle user does not have to look for the respective function in a sub-menu of the central operating system.
As previously mentioned, this presenting of the activation or presenting the parameters available for activation is particularly advantageous with remote parking described above since, when the vehicle user is located outside the vehicle, the usual operating elements of the vehicle for the respective vehicle-specific or parking process-specific functions are not available. In this case, a corresponding shortcut or a different activation possibility or the parameters able to be activated can, for example, be displayed on the remote-control unit. Furthermore, as described above, the automatic activation of the vehicle-specific or parking process situation-specific function is also possible, in particular in the configuration saved for the respective parking process situation, i.e., with the saved parameterization.
In an advantageous embodiment of the method, the predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function allocated to the one predetermined parking process situation is activated after a confirmation by the vehicle user, i.e., this confirmation by the vehicle user is required and the activation takes place only after the confirmation by the vehicle user. In this way, an activation that is not desired by the vehicle user is avoided. For this purpose, a query, i.e., a request, expediently takes place to the vehicle user whether the activation of the one predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process situation-specific function that is allocated to the respective parking process situation in which the vehicle currently is, is desired by the vehicle user.
Advantageously, the predetermined parking process situation is characterized by one or more of the following criteria:    position of the vehicle,    time point or time period of the parking process situation,    vehicle user identification,    position of the vehicle user,    at least one piece of current or predicted weather information,    at least one piece of vehicle surroundings information,    parking trajectory.
The position of the vehicle can, for example, be determined via a satellite-aided global position determining system, for example GPS, or by means of a surroundings detection device of the vehicle or in a different way. Thus, it can be determined, for example, by means of the position whether the vehicle is close to a home parking space or a frequently used parking space or is in such a parking space. The parking space can also be formed as a garage, for example. The identification of the vehicle user can, for example, take place via detection by a personal unit of the vehicle user, for example via detection by a mobile telephone or a personalized vehicle key or a different authentication unit allocated to a respective vehicle user. The position of the user, in particular relative to the vehicle, can also be determined, for example, via the detection of the personal unit of the vehicle user or also, for example, by means of the position of a common vehicle access unit, for example a so-called radio key. In this way, it is possible, for example, to determine whether the vehicle user is in the vehicle or outside the vehicle and close to the vehicle and thus in data transfer range to the vehicle. Furthermore, the position of the vehicle user, for example, can also be determined via the satellite-aided global position determining system, for example by means of the personal unit of the vehicle user, for example by means of his mobile telephone. Weather information can be determined, for example, by means of sensors of the vehicle or by a connection to a weather service. Vehicle surroundings information can be determined, for example, by means of the surroundings detection device of the vehicle that expediently comprises one or more sensors, for example an ultrasound sensor, a Lidar sensor, a radar sensor or a camera, for example a stereo camera. The parking trajectory can, for example, be a parking trajectory that is currently being driven or a saved parking trajectory that is currently being retrieved. By establishing one or more of these criteria, it can be established with a great degree of accuracy whether the vehicle is in the respective predetermined parking situation, such that the at least one vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function allocated to this respective parking situation is reliably provided.
Preferably, the following is allocated to the predetermined parking process situation as a predetermined vehicle specific or parking process specific function:    activating a locking device of a parking space, for example opening or closing a garage door, opening or closing a barrier or a different locking device. The activation takes place by means of a device installed in the vehicle or a remote control. For example, by means of a garage door opener that is preferably coupled to the vehicle and is thus able to be operated by a device of the vehicle. Activation can also take place by means of an identification of the vehicle user, for example via a wireless data transfer connection,    activating a heating device of the vehicle, for example a seat heating device of a vehicle seat of the vehicle,    activating an air-conditioning device of the vehicle,    activating a ventilating device of the vehicle, for example a ventilating device of a vehicle seat of the vehicle,    activating a lighting device of the vehicle or activating a delay of the deactivation of the lighting device, for example for lighting the surroundings for the vehicle user who is away from the vehicle,    setting a predetermined parameter t of a drive train component or a brake device of the vehicle. By means of this setting, an engine noise, for example, of the vehicle can be reduced in the predetermined parking process situation, for example when starting the engine in the morning or the evening. This sound reduction when starting the engine is also called a silent start. With a vehicle formed as a hybrid vehicle, in such a parking process situation, only one electric drive motor of the vehicle, for example, can be activated such that the vehicle leaves the parking process situation particularly quietly and an internal combustion engine of the vehicle is only connected thereafter.
The brake device can be activated, for example, and set to correspond to the predetermined parameters in order to implement a parking brake function of the parked vehicle or in order to specifically delay the vehicle in the predetermined parking situation or to bring it to a complete stop, for example with a partially or fully automatic parking procedure that should be interrupted in at least one predetermined position in order to wait for a locking device of the parking space to open, for example a barrier or a garage door or a pivoting door.    activating a parking heater of the vehicle or setting a parameter of the parking heater, for example a time point of activating the parking heater,    activating a covering mechanism of the vehicle, for example a convertible. Then, the cover is opened or closed, for example, in the predetermined parking process situation.    activating an adjusting mechanism of a window element of the vehicle, for example opening or closing a side window or a sliding roof/sunroof of the vehicle.    activating a predetermined seat adjustment of a vehicle seat of the vehicle, for example adjusted to the respective vehicle user. One criterion for characterizing the parking process situation is then expediently the identity of the respectively present vehicle user.    activating a predetermined mirror adjustment of a rear-view mirror of the vehicle, also, analogously to the seat adjustment, adjusted to the respective vehicle user. One criterion for characterizing the parking process situation is then expediently the identity of the respectively present vehicle user.    activating a locking system of the vehicle, i.e., locking or unlocking the vehicle,    activating or deactivating a prepared state of the vehicle, for example after establishing the presence of the vehicle user, for example via the detection of a person-related unit.
The functions described above are a selection of particularly advantageous functions that can be activated based on the parking process situation by means of the method or can be presented to the vehicle user for activation to realize the advantages of the method already described above in this manner.
Advantageously, a wireless data transfer connection is used for determining the one predetermined parking process situation or for activating the one predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function. For example, this can be a radio connection, a WLAN connection, a mobile communication connection, or a wireless data transfer connection to a vehicle key, for example via radio. Other wireless data transfer connections, for example by means of infrared, are also possible. When using remote parking with which, as already explained, the vehicle user is positioned outside the vehicle and the respective parking process initiates, controls, regulates or monitors by means of a remote-control unit, which is preferably connected to the vehicle via a wireless data transfer connection, this wireless connection can also be used advantageously to determine the one predetermined parking process situation or, in particular, to activate the one predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function.
With a multitude of available, wireless data transfer connections that are available for the at least one predetermined parking process situation, the data transfer connection most suited to the one predetermined parking process situation is advantageously used. This can, for example, be currently determined in each case; however, particularly preferably, the data transfer connection most suited to the predetermined parking process situation is allocated to the respective predetermined parking process situation or the respective vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function and saved. This avoids the respective vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function not being activated or not being presented to the vehicle user for activation because one of the possible data transfer connections is not functioning in the respective parking process situation.
In an advantageous embodiment of the method, activating the predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function is delayed until a predetermined condition is met. Thus, activating the vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function, for example, at a time point or at a certain location is planned for which there is no wireless data transfer available because the vehicle is parked in a garage, for example. The predetermined parking process situation then emerges expediently at an earlier time point in which the vehicle is still in front of the garage. The vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function is then expediently presented to the vehicle user at this earlier time point. When the vehicle user activates it, it is, however, preferably temporally delayed or delayed in a position curve of the vehicle and only carried out at a later time point or in the later position of the vehicle. The predetermined condition for which the activation is then effective, i.e., for which the function is carried out, is then, for example, a predetermined point in time, a predetermined period of time because the activation by the vehicle user or a predetermined position of the vehicle. The user bringing the activation command forward and delaying carrying out the function prevents carrying out the function at a time point in which it is provided to be carried out cannot be activated and thus be avoided.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment, several predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process-specific functions are allocated to the predetermined parking process situation of the vehicle in such a way that at least some of these predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process-specific functions are presented to the vehicle user for activation or are automatically activated one after another in several steps during the course of the predetermined parking process situation, when the vehicle is in the predetermined parking process situation. In this way, several functions at different positions or at different time points of a parking process duration are not allocated to different parking process situations that have to each be individually learned and all conditions are to be individually checked for their occurrence in later parking processes; instead, it is a whole parking process situation that has to be learned in its entirety and whose functions are activated one after another or are presented to the vehicle user for activation when it is detected that the vehicle is in this parking process situation.
Furthermore, in this embodiment of the method as well, one or more predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process-specific functions can be presented to the vehicle user at an earlier point in time or in an earlier position of the vehicle; however, after their activation, they are not carried out immediately, but rather at a later time point or in a later position of the vehicle. As in the case described above, the activation of the vehicle-specific or parking process-specific functions are also planned here at a time point in which there is no wireless data transfer connection available because the vehicle is parked, for example in a garage. The predetermined parking process situation then expediently already occurs at an earlier time point in which the vehicle is still in front of the garage. The vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function is then advantageously presented to the vehicle user at this earlier time point. When the vehicle user activates it, it is, however, preferably temporally delayed or in a position curve of the vehicle and only carried out at a later time point or in the later position of the vehicle.
A device according to the invention is formed and, in particular, adapted to carry out the method described above. In particular, at least one predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function is able to be allocated to the at least one predetermined parking process situation of the vehicle by means of the device. Furthermore, it can be determined whether the vehicle is in the at least one predetermined parking process situation, and the predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function that is allocated to this at least one predetermined parking process situation is able to be presented to a vehicle user for activation or is able to be automatically activated when the vehicle is in the at least one predetermined parking process situation. In particular, the device comprises a storage unit for storing the at least one predetermined parking process situation of the vehicle and the at least one predetermined vehicle-specific or parking process-specific function allocated to this.
Parts that correspond to one another are provided with the same reference numerals in all figures.